Nigel Barker Tells Seventeen About His USO Trip!

[Editor's Note:] You probably know him best seated next to Tyra and the rest of the judging panel on America's Next Top Model, but Nigel Barker was most recently seen in Honolulu, HI where he talked to students about his experiences as a photographer and a judge, and got to meet Air Force cadets at their base. He gave Seventeen the inside scoop on his exciting visit:

"I was thrilled when the USO (United Service Organizations) invited me to the island of Oahu, Hawaii to do an educational tour to kick off the organization's Month of the Military Child. It was a three day whirlwind trip where I traveled all over the stunning island, from school-to-school giving attentive students lectures on photography as a career, my personal experience as a photographer and my role on America's Next Top Model.

Armed with my laptop full of photos of everything from fashion shoots to portraiture to journalistic and behind-the-scenes images and all my Sony gear (like my A900 and my new Cyber shot HX5 / HX5V), I spoke to the teens and let them practice photographing with my gear.

My USO host, Nicole Darity gave me a thorough tour of the island of Oahu. I met so many interesting people.

We also visited several military bases and met with Public Affairs personnel, Combat Photographers and Military Press service people. Their stories from the field were very compelling. One Combat Photographer explained what an important tool photography is and how seriously he takes his role as a military photographer because the images he shoots potentially have the power to bring the troops home or possibly prolong their stay on the front lines. His words really resonated with me.

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Another highlight from the trip was visiting Hickam Air Force Base where I got a tour of the historical base, boarded aircrafts like the KC135, F18 and F15 and got flight training in a C-17 Aircraft Simulator!

On the last day of the trip we stopped at Kaneohe Marine Corp Base for a tour, and I got to try out the latest technology in Hum Vee Simulators. Think X-Box on steroids! The whole trip was amazing and meeting the students, their teachers and the US service men and

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